The trees flew by underneath me as I glided downwards. Some of the leaves had already started to turn, and blotches of orange and red peeked up at me through the canopy. The wind had also picked up recently, cold breezes coming down from the mountains in the distant north. I didn’t really notice the change in temperature, as my mind was distracted by something else.

Those men, why had they come to the den? Was it really just so that Franz person could see me?

He had said he was part of the city guard of Draughton, I think. And judging by the way the other two had been dressed, they were as well. Draughton… wasn’t that the place that lady had mentioned...

Glancing downwards through the trees, I checked that the brown shape hadn’t moved. Sighing to myself, I circled back around and upwards, completing the midair oval for the seventh time in a row. Glancing again, I saw the shape shift slightly. Bright golden blonde hair fell about. Judging by the angle of the hair, Franz was looking out over the small pond we’d first run into each other. Come on Mia, why are you so indecisive!!! It’s just some guy!!! Clenching my teeth I forced myself to make a decision and dove down through the treetops. Landing a distance away from Franz and the pond, I carefully approached the clearing on the opposite side of Franz, and peeked at him.

Franz was sitting peacefully on a large, flat rock, with his leather boots to the side and his feet in the water. He had a light brown cloak on him, and it seemed like he was in casual clothes. Geh, I can probably convince Mother not to incinerate a village for this-

Quietly finding a tree to stand behind, I cleared my throat and tried talking.

“Uh, hello.”

Startled by the sudden greeting, Franz looked around perplexed before responding, “Ah! My lady, is that you! I am eternally grateful you have returned here after yesterday’s confusion.”

Yesterday’s confusion? Ok, yeah that sounds pretty fitting. He had shouted about meeting here and talking, and well… I’m a bit bored by myself.

Feeling out my teeth with my tongue, I tried talking again, “Your name issh- Franzsh? Do you talk like ..that to everyone?” Dammit, why are the ‘s’ and ‘th’ sounds so hard to say?? Well, he can probably understand what I mean.

“I am truly honoured that you remembered my name! However, I do not understand what you possibly could mean, I speak how one should!”

I glanced around the tree trunk I was using as cover and glared at him, Squinting, I made eye contact with the blonde pretty boy. “Truly honoured… hm, do you only sshpeak like that to girlssh, maybe?”

Franz coughed slightly into his fist and looked away. I knew it. I knew he was some sort of playboy. I bet he tries to sweet talk every woman he comes across. One look at his face-

“What is wrong with how I speak, anyways?”

“... it’ssh creepy.”

With that, Franz gave me a truly bewildered expression. Wait, don’t tell me it actually works on people. I suppose… I could picture some pure-hearted girl falling for his looks, at least when he had his mouth closed. Still, what did he take me for? Some country bumpkin with no knowledge of the world? Me? I am- ah.

“Um, what’s creepy about it?” Franz prompted, saving me from my own thoughts. Looking back towards him, he was playing with a lock of hair looking slightly abashed.

“You called me “my lady”. It’ssh weird. And the rest wassh unnatural.”

“...Sorry. I’ll, um, stop doing it I guess. Although I don't know what to call you. You do have a name, right?”

That sounds more normal at least. As for my name, I’m not actually supposed to have one yet according to Rehm. But I’m not about to have this idiot call me ‘child’. Well… I suppose if to a dragon I don’t have a name yet, then to a human I’m…

“My name issh Mia.”

“Mia?” Giving me a friendly smile, Franz bowed slightly at the waist, feet still submerged in the pond. “As I said before, I’m Franz Diolle. And it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Watching Franz carefully, I returned the introduction with a nod. I suppose he’s alright when speaking normally. At the very least, he doesn’t seem like the type to murder me for my tail, or something. God, is that a thing in this world?

I was hugging my tail close to my body when Franz spoke again, “Oh, I brought you something, Mia. I thought.. I thought you might need it given the way you are now.”

I watched him with suspicion as he pulled out a bundle of cloth from the sack he’d brought with him. Spreading the bundle of cloth out, he held up a deep green cloak that ruffled lightly in the breeze.

“It’s um, one of my old cloaks I don’t use anymore. I thought it would be easier for you to talk if you uh, had something comfortable…”

What? Was he actually a considerate guy this whole time?? But my mental image of him...

“Oh, ..thank you. Can you leave it ..there?”

I pointed at a rock across the small pond from his seat and waited for him to place it on the flat surface. I warily glared at him as he retreated back to his spot and turned his back towards me. Slowly, I emerged from behind the tree and inspected the cloak. The dark, deep green was actually really pretty, and the material was of fairly high quality. Wrapping it around myself, I kept my tail close to my body and my wings tucked tightly between my shoulderblades. Carefully securing the clasp around my neck with my claws, I put the hood up and inspected how it fit.

The sleeveless cloak fell about me more like a blanket with a hood, but using my hands to gingerly hold it closed I could easily conceal everything but my face and claw-feet.

“Sshuch a nice cloak, issh it okay…”

Turning around and beaming at me, Franz dropped back onto his rock and dipped his feet back into the pond. “Don’t worry about it, my father’s a merchant and trades in cloth, so it’s really no problem! He’s always sending me new ones!”

Squinting at Franz’s open smile, I sighed and sat down. Surely, if explained properly, mother wouldn’t mind. This is to practice speaking out loud! I could practice with this human, and learn about the surrounding world. Yes! This was all to gain valuable intel! I have no other motives whatsoever!!

I slid my claw-feet into the water, a sigh escaping as my scales cooled off. “A merchant? Doessh that mean you travel a lot?”

“Well, I have my job in the city guard now, but growing up my father and I would travel all across Olivar, and even to…..

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Jean made his way to the outskirts of Draughton, beyond the walls that surrounded it. He exchanged greetings with and smiled at many citizens as he found his way to Trakov’s small house. The Second Lieutenant was spending his day off at home, and his wife Flora had offered to make both Jean and Franz lunch as well during his break.

Jean knocked on the front door and was quickly let in by Trakov, dressed in drab colored cloth made for utility rather than style.

“You know, with the salary of an officer in the city guard, you can easily move inside the walls and buy yourself something nice to wear.”

Giving Jean a reluctant smile, Trakov led him into the main room of the house.

“You really ought to give it up, Jean. You know Flora and I prefer it out here. Divine’s tits, Flora already complains we’re too close to the city as is.”

“What’s this about my tits?”

Both the men turned as a face popped out around the doorframe to the kitchen. Jean smiled innocently at Flora, who’s rugged face likewise broke out into one.

“Nothing, dear. Just wishful thinking, that’s all.” Trakov gave his wife a contemplative look, which she returned with a vulgar gesture involving 3 fingers before returning to the meal she’d been tending.

“Well, it makes sense, in a way. Flora use to be an adventurer, right?”

“Aye, we actually met during the war. Near the end, I’d been roughing it up in Esther for a while, and most of my company had died or been sent back. Middle of the night, I’m keeping watch, when some hellion of a woman comes sprinting into our camp, a whole pack of steamwolves at her back.”

Jean chuckled, letting his friend and mentor retell the story. Flora had been quite the notorious adventurer in her youth, equal parts for her skill and for her ability to cause a mess. She’d come to Draughton later, proclaiming herself tired of adventuring and looking to retire. By chance the two of them had met and recognized one another, and from there it was history, he supposed.

“Well,” Trakov continued, “sometimes she gets this look in her eye, makes me question why she ever stopped at all.”

“Come now boys, it’s no good to be gossiping. Leave that for us housewives.” Entering the room with 3 plates, Flora placed them and sat down at the table with them, winking at Jean.

“I’ve never seen a housewife quite like you, Miss Flora,” Jean sweetly replied. Laughing, Trakov dug into his meal.

“Hey! My cooking’s much better than what it used to be, at least!”

Swallowing, Trakov agreed. “That’s true, when we were first married all you knew was how to cook venison over an open flame.”

Enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, Jean took a moment to look at the married couple.

Second Lieutenant Trakov Sokola of the Draughton City Guard. A veteran of war and expert tracker, his mentor was a well-respected man in the city. He had pitch black hair, now speckled with gray as he began to age. His grizzled face was permanently slightly sunken, giving his dark eyes the illusion of being bored into his head.

Ex-adventurer and (dubious) housewife Flora Sokola. A notorious and skilled adventurer in her youth, she had traveled across the Hourglass Continent searching for treasure and uncovering mysteries. Nicknamed the Hellraiser, rather fondly by most. She had long auburn hair, also graying like her husband’s. Though alluring in her own way, Jean often thought her parents had misnamed her. She too had a rugged face, with sharp cheekbones and lines that told a story of long nights squinting into darkness around campfires. She also had three distinct scars running vertically down her left brow and cheek, where apparently some unhappy beast had slashed at her.

Together, the two were quite the power couple, Jean thought. They certainly held a sizable amount of influence in Draughton. More importantly, however, was that since Jean had arrived in this world, they had become two of his closest friends.

Digging into his meal, Jean shot a question at them. “Are we not waiting for Franz to eat, then?”

Both of them gave him a bewildered look, before Trakov answered. “What do you mean? Franz told me he was spending his day at the Hunter’s Cove, drinking his love problems away.”

Jean, who had lifted food to his mouth, dropped his arm back to the table.

“What? I’d asked him this morning, and he said he’d be joining us for lunch. Besides, I just broke up a couple of day drinkers getting into a fight at the Cove earlier, and I didn’t see him there...”

Trakov had now also stopped eating, his face serious. Flora simply gave him an inquisitive look.

“You don’t think…” Trakov started.

“He wouldn’t be that stupid, would he?..”

Jean and Trakov both stared at each other, and both knew the answer to that question.

“Well, Flora, I’m sorry I can’t stay to finish your wonderful meal, but thank you for your hospitality as always.”

“Dear, sorry about this, we’ll be back by the afternoon bell.”

Both men stood up to leave, Trakov reaching for the shortsword that leaned by the front door.

“Hm, has my angel Franz gotten himself into trouble again, then?”

Jean was already halfway out the door as Trakov answered his wife, “Your angel Franz seems determined to get his head lopped off, as usual.”

With that, First Lieutenant Jean Martine and his Second Lieutenant, Trakov Sokola, set off for the place they knew they’d find Franz, accompanied by the echoing laughter from inside the house.

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“Wait, ssho there’s a whole country of lizard people???”

“Ha- not so much a country, but a loose gathering of tribes. The Olivar Kingdom borders them to the south, you know.”

Splashing my feet absentmindedly in the pond, I mulled over what Franz had said. Apparently, he’d traveled with his father up until he was 15, and seen much of the continent. According to him, we were currently in the heartlands of the Olivar Kingdom, which stretched for much of the southern part of the hourglass-shaped continent of Enta. To the west lay the sea, and to the east lay the Kingdom of Esther, a nation slightly smaller than Olivar also comprising of humans. To the south lay many tribes of lizardkin, who lived a semi-aquatic life in marshlands not suitable for humans. It was the what lay to the north that interested me the most though. Apparently, Olivar bordered a vast mountain range called the Dragonspine Mountains.

“And-and, to the nor..th, ...there are dragonssh??”

“Huh, actually I’m not really sure. Some people think dragons live near the peaks of the mountain range, but no one knows. The occasional wyvern comes down a wreaks havoc in the countryside, though.”

Wyvern, huh. It seemed like a familiar word, something like a smaller dragon? The vague memories of my past life seem to confirm that, at least.

“No one knowssh? Why doesshn’t anyone find out?”

Franz gave me an apologetic smile as he answered. “The mountains are entirely impassable, and stretch from each coast east to west. Some of the merchants from north of the mountains say it’s easier to climb from the other side, though.”

“Wait… how do people get acrosssh then? Around, by boat?”

“Ah, it’s not really feasible to sail around either. But merchants get across by going through the Spine Cities. They’re under the mountain, in a giant tunnel the connects the north and south lands of Enta. I have to admit, I’ve never been through them. Father always complained the fees they charged were made to run independent merchants out of business.”

Chuckling, the long-haired blonde boy in front of me lifted his feet out of the water and hugged his knees to his chest. I felt kind of bad; I’d originally thought he was some kind of playboy creep, but he didn’t seem that bad after talking to him for an hour or two. He was definitely an idiot, though. When I’d asked him why he was so relaxed with a monster, he’d said something about beautiful girls never being dangerous. Maybe he is a no-good playboy, actually.

“Hey, Franzsh. Um… what do you ..think I am?”

“Hm? Oh, I’d thought you were an angel at first, but the angels the priests talk about never had claws so… I’m not really sure.”

With an easy smile on his face, Franz shrugged and acted like the question didn’t really matter. An angel… are angels real? Wait, dragons and wyverns and lizardkin are real, so why not angels?

“Well, I’m actually-” I stopped mid-sentence, Franz looking at me questioningly. “Two people are coming Franzsh.”

Franz rose immediately, hand going to the sword at his waist. “What? Which direction?”

I felt the two mana presences moving swiftly, straight for our spot. I was about to unfurl my wings under my new cloak when I realized something about the bundles of mana coming for us. They seemed familiar.

“Ah, Franzsh. I ..think ..they are your friendssh.”

“Huh?”

Two figures burst through the trees and into the clearing, as the men I’d seen with Franz yesterday stopped in front of him, huffing after sprinting here. After a moment, both men looked furiously at Franz before noticing me standing across from them.

“Franz…” one of them loudly whispered as he slowly approached his friend. “WHAT ARE DOING?”

“AH- Jean, please, calm down!! Uh, this is my new friend, Mia!” Turning partially to me, he gestured and continued, “Mia! These two are Jean and Trakov, my friends and superiors in the city guard.”

After rapidly introducing me, I looked at his ‘friends’/’superiors’: the broad shouldered man with short brown hair and the older rugged-looking man with gray and black hair, Jean and Trakov respectively, I supposed. They had both frozen in place, staring at me wide-eyed. A bit rude, aren’t we. Well, not that I blame them. I feel like Franz is just too much of an airhead to realize certain things.

Smiling slightly, I greeted them. “Hello, uh good to sshee you again. Sshorry I hid from you yesshterday.”

Somehow, both of the men seemed even more confused than the day before, each still frozen in place. Franz, seeing his friends not moving, added, “Mia and I have been talking for a while now, she’s quite nice! Come on, it’s alright.”

And so, with not a little pushing and coaxing, I found myself facing Franz, back to sitting on the rock, and Jean and Trakov, both awkwardly standing to either side of him. Jean was the first to recover of the two.

“Miss... Mia, was it, I would like to apologize for any offence given to you by Franz here, or by us yesterday.”

“Ah, no, it’ssh fine. I am happy I found sshomeone to talk wi..th!”

My attempts to reassure them didn’t seem to do much for the rest of our conversation though, as shortly after Jean apologized and stated it was time to leave. As Trakov firmly grabbed Franz’s shoulder, Jean told me, “You see, we are not supposed to enter the forest, so I must apologize again, we won’t disturb you anymore, Miss Mia.”

“Oh… really? I don’t mind, I had fun today!” Franz smiled as I said that, which annoyed me slightly. You try staying sane out in the wilds with no one to talk to but your dragon-mom.

“Still…”

“Jean, please, she said it’s not a problem! I can come here from time to time to talk it won’t interfere with my duties either. I don’t see what’s the issue.”

Jean sighed at this, meanwhile Trakov retained his grouchy and vaguely threatening visage he’d worn throughout the conversation.

“Look, fine. We just need to talk about this once we return, alright?”

Beaming, Jean stood up and turned to me, bowing slightly. “Well, Mia, I’ve enjoyed our conversation, and I look forward to continuing it another day.”

As they turned to leave, I remembered something.

“Oh, Franzsh, I forgot to ansshwer your quesshtion, about what I am. I am a dragon.”

To this, Franz met my eyes and laughed delightedly, giving me a ‘Oh, is that right’ gesture with his shoulders. On either side, Jean and Trakov’s faces became immediately strained and stormy, and I admitted to myself that I was impressed with how Trakov could seemingly get even more grouchy.

“How wonderful! I’ll definitely be sure to ask all about it when we talk again!”

“Of cousshe! ..Though, don’t blame me if mo..ther decidessh to incinerate you.” Giving my best smile, one full of pointed teeth the size of small daggers, I beamed at the trio.

Franz laughed once more, seemingly ecstatic at the thought, and Jean and Trakov both turned a bit purple. Muttering goodbyes, I watched them walk off, one man with a bounce in step and two with stiff, jerky movements.

Ah. I think Mother will be understanding. After all, I believe I’ve made my first friend.

Smiling to myself, I took my time leisurely walking back to the den.